Swing post apparatus



A. N. PORTER SWING POST APPARATUS Original Filed Nov. 8, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Y E N R O T T A Jan. 7, 1941. A. N. PORTER 2,227,889

SWING POST APPARATUS Original Filed Nov. 8, 1957 2 Sheets She et 2 INVENTOR 4/0; h /V. Par-fen ATToR'NEY Patented Jan. 7, 1941 PATENT OFFICE I SWING POST APPARATUS Albert N. Porter, Tulsa, Okla., assignor to J. F. Darby, Tulsa, Okla.

Original application November 8, 1937, Serial No.

173,395. Divided and this application Decemher 5, 1938, Serial No. 244,135

4 Claims.

Wells in an oil field are. ordinarily spaced some distance apart and it is customary to pump a series of wells with a single power. It is often difficult to maintain a straight line applicationof power from a power source to the pumping jacks and like equipment of the various wells and a swing post is therefore provided under such circumstances for changing the direction of appli-.

cation of power in order to facilitate pumping a number of wells with a single power.

In an apparatus of this character, and particularly when used on widely separated wells, the friction encountered in applying great forces to the pull rods adversely affects the efficient operation of the apparatus.

It is, therefore, the principal object of the present invention to provide the swing post apparatus with line contact bearings arranged at strategic points throughout the apparatus and constructed so that the forces acting thereon tend to retain the line contact throughout the apparatus, thereby reducing friction during operation of the apparatus.

Other important objects of the present invention are to so construct the bearings as to maintain the line contact between the parts thereof incidental to operation of the apparatus; to improve the connections between the various parts of an apparatus of the character herein considered; to improve the construction and the various parts of such an apparatus generally; and to provide a durable, economical and efficient apparatus of this character.

In accomplishing these and other objects of the present invention, I have provided improved details of structure, the preferred form of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a swing post apparatus embodying features of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section through the swing post line contact bearing on the line 2-2, Fig. 1. t

Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross-section through the swing post illustrating the manner of mounting the line contact bearing and swing arms thereon.

(Cl. i l-522.5)

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of the swing post line contact bearing, the parts thereof being shown in disassembled spaced relation.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal cross-sectionthrough the swing post and line contact bearing therefor on c the line 55, Fig. 2.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

I designates a pull rod leading to a pumping jack or similar well operating device, not shown, the outer end of which pull rod has a stirrup m connection 2 with a swing arm 3, which, in turn is connected to a swing post 4 by a line contact bearing 5, the bearing 5 having another swing arm 6 provided with a stirrup connection I to a pull rod 8 leading to a suitable source of power, 15 not shown.

The present apparatus is preferably provided with line contact bearings 9 and III at the pull rod connections with the swing arms 3 and 6 respectively, and line contact bearings II, I2 and I3, Fig. 4, are provided for connecting the swing arms with the swing post 4.

The swing post 4 is mounted in a suitable support I4 and its upper end is braced by a support I5 mounted in the ground and having its upper end fixed to the upper end of the post by U-bolts or the like I6.

The line contact bearings form an important feature of the present invention in that they facilitate application of power to the swing post and subsequently to the pull rods leading to a well.

The line contact bearings I I, I2 and I3 on the swing post preferably consist of a bearing member including a plate I'I, Fig. 4, having apertures at its corners for receiving the ends of U-bolts I8, the U-bolts being engaged about the swing post 4 and the outer ends thereof being provided with lock nuts I9 for securing the U-bolts to the plate and the plate to the swing post. The plate I1 is also provided with a substantially centrally disposed arcuate seat 20 on the post side thereof for increasing surface contact between the post and plate and thus enhancing alignment and stability of the plate on the post. Internally threaded bosses 2| are spaced about the plate I! on the outer face thereof substantially at the corners of the plate and are adapted to receive bolts 22 provided with lock nuts 23.

The plate I! is further provided with a substantially centrally disposed aperture 24 for receiving one end of a threaded bolt 25, the other end of which is engageable in an aperture 26 centrally disposed in a line contact device 21.

The line contact device 21 has a recess 28 therein adapted to receive a nut 29 for threaded engagement with the bolt 25 for securing the line contact device 2'! to the plate I! in such a manner that its line-like contact edge is engageable with the line-like seat 3! of a cooperating bearing member 32, the line-like seat 3i being formed at the apex of an interior angle made in the member 32 by cutting a, segmental aperture 33 therefrom of substantially equal length to the line contact device 2! but of a substantially greater angle to provide for rocking motion between the cooperative line contact devices.

Segmental apertures 34 .and35 are also provided in the bearing member device 32 at opposite ends thereof and on a side thereof opposite the aperture 33 to form. coaxial line contact seats 36 to receive and cooperate with the line contact edges 31 of duplicate contact elements 38, the contact elements 38 having recesses 33 cut into the sides thereof which open from the flat faces 40 opposite the edges 3'! thereof in such a manner that the heads of bolts 4| are adapted to be received in the recesses and the threaded shanks of the bolts are adapted to be extended through apertures 42 in the body portions of strap members 43.

The strap members 43 each have a fiat inner face 44 adapted to be engaged against the fiat faces 48 of the contact elements 38 so that nuts 45 can be applied to the bolts 4| and the elements 38 securely attached to the strap members. The strap members 43 also have laterally extending apertured ends 46, which are anchored to the outer ends 41 of the bolts 22 in such a manner that when nuts 48 are applied to the bolts 22 from the back face 49 of the strap members 43, the line contact edges of the elements 38 and 21 are secured in coaxial relation with the coaxial line contact seats of bearing member 32, so that the bearing member 32 swings freely about the coaxis of the line contacts.

In taking advantage of such a movement of the bearing member 32, the radially extending swing arms 3 and 6 are applied to the bearing member 32, each of which arms preferably consists of opposed pairs of substantially parallel channel members 58, which are suitably spaced from each other as shown at 5|, and braced relative to each other, as shown at 52 in order that the same movement imparted to one may be imparted to the other. The swing arms 2 and 6 are ordinarily arranged in right angular relation, but it is apparent that a change in position of wells relative to a power will cause a variance in such a condition.

The outer ends of the arms 3 and 6 are provided with line contact members 53 and 54 of substantially similar construction and comprising a base lug 55 mounted between the webs of the channels of each of the arms and secured thereto by a suitable fastening device. The contact devices 53 and 54 are preferably of the interior angle type having a contact edge 55 bounded by outwardly and angularly extending ears 5?. As shown in Fig. 3, the contact edges 56 are adapted to cooperate with oppositely disposed contact edges on the contact elements 58 of stirrup members 9 and I8. The stirrup members 9 and I8 have loops 59, the outer ends of which are engaged with cooperating loops 68 of the pullrod land power pull rod 8, respectively, it being apparent, as shown in Fig. 3, that the thrust on the swing arms always maintains the contact edges in contact with each otherand yet reduces to a minimum the friction ordinarily imparted to such apparatuses.

The operation of a swing post apparatus constructed as described is as follows:

Assuming the apparatus to be in operation,

that is, when a suitable power is energized and is generating power, that power or force is transmitted to the power pull rod 8 in a' suitable manner and to the swing arm 6 through the line contact stirrup connection [8 for moving the bearing 5 in a clockwise direction. The line contact devices of the arm 6 and pull rod 8 are interengaged during such application of power, and line contact is always maintained due to the fact that a latitude of movement is permitted by the variance in angles of the respective contact eleand 38. Motion in the same direction is transmittedto thearm 3 and friction is reduced in such movement during transmission of power tothe pull rod I by the maintenance of edge contact between the line contact element on the swing arm 3 and'the stirrup. line contact member connected with the pull rod I.

Upon reversal of direction of the pull rod l, due for example to the weight of rods in a well, the operation just described is reversed for mov ing the swing arms and bearing 5 in an anticlockwise direction. The power pull rod 8 under such circumstances is consequently moved in the girectign of anti-clockwise swing of the arms and What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: I 1. A device of the character described including a bearing member having coaxial line contact edges arranged-on opposite sides of said coaxis, a bearing member having complementary coaxial line contact seats for the contact edges, radially arranged pull arms on one of said bearing members, bearing members on. the arms having line contact seats arranged parallel with said coaxis, pull rod connections having line-contact .edges engaged in said seats of the pull arm bearing members, and means for connecting the other bearing member with a support.

2. A device of the character described includ ing a bearing member having line contact elements provided with coaxial line contact edges arranged with two of said elements on one side of said coaxis and another element on the opposite side, a bearing member having cooperating line contact seats for said contact edges, pull rod arms on one of the bearing members and extending radially relatively to said coaxis, bearing members on the arms having line contact seats arranged parallel with said coaxis, pull rod connections having line contact edges engaging said 'line contact seats of the pull arm bearing members, and means for securing the other bearing member to a support, said last named bearing contacts being substantially equally disposed on a medial plane passing through said elements.

3. In a device of the character described, a bearing member, a contact element carried on the bearing-'member and having a-line contact edge, a pair of cooperating contact elements having line contact edges, means supporting said pair of contact elements with the line contact edges coaxial with the contact edge of the first named contact element, a bearing member having coaxial line contact seats for said line contact edges, swing arms on the last named bearing member, bearings on said swing arms having line contact seats arranged parallel with said coaxial seats, pull rod connections having line contact edges engaging said line contact seats of the swing arm bearings, and means securing the other bearing member to a supporting post, said swing arm bearings being substantially equally disposed on the opposite sides of said pair of contact elements.

4. In a device of the character described, a bearing member, a contact element carried on the bearing member and having a line contact edge, a pair of cooperating contact elements having line contact edges and having recesses opposite said edges, strap members, fastening devices having heads engaged in said recesses and connected with said strap members, means for adjustably supporting said strap members to maintain the line contact edges coaxial, a bearing member having coaxial line contact seats for said line contact edges, swing arms on the last named bearing member, pull rod connections on said arms, and means securing the other bearing member to a supporting post.

ALBERT N. PORTER 

